Frustrated with...

azure

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azure
...scheduling instrument training to get the checkride finished up.

It happened again today (actually, late last night), the second time something like this has happened. My CFII called about the time I'd blocked off on his schedule. It was only vacant because a pre-solo primary student of his had messed up and only blocked off the time in his plane.

His schedule is pretty full for the rest of the week and through the weekend. It always is during the summer. The schedule that I accidentally stepped on was made a week ago. That's just the way it is. Most of his income is from primary students that he teaches in his own airplane, and from the rental fees (probably a significant part of his income since it's a 172 and he's an A&P/IA and does all of his own mx), so I know there's no way he would block off a week of time to get me finished up.

Due to work, mx issues and now this, we've yet to connect this summer.

If I don't finish up by the end of next month I have to take the written again. I really don't want to have to do that, it's a hassle and costs $150 now (or maybe it's gone up more since then, I don't know).

I'm sorta running out of options here. I'm teaching only one course this summer, an online course so I could do almost all of my work for it on the road, except that I'm required to keep office hours and mine are MWF. So traveling somewhere to do an accelerated course is pretty much out of the question too. The course ends... you guessed it, at the end of next month. Not even a few days' window there.

Paying for PIC to come to me would be MUCH more expensive than just slogging on ahead and retaking the written. I guess that's probably what I'll end up doing, but I thought I'd ask here just in case:

Does anyone know of someone in my area (as in, within an hour Cardinal time from VLL) who does accelerated instrument training?
 
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Ugh! Sorry to hear that!
Is Razor still current? And available? I bet she could get creative.

Or Heather at KPTK? She's been flying charter, but I think she still instructs. Might be up for a small project (vs primary student).
 
Ugh! Sorry to hear that!
Is Razor still current? And available? I bet she could get creative.
I'll bet she could! It's worth PMing her, but I'm pretty sure she's been inactive for a couple of years or more.

Or Heather at KPTK? She's been flying charter, but I think she still instructs. Might be up for a small project (vs primary student).
Now that's a thought, thanks. I don't know her though. Do you know her last name? I could try looking her up or asking around.
 
I'll bet she could! It's worth PMing her, but I'm pretty sure she's been inactive for a couple of years or more.


Now that's a thought, thanks. I don't know her though. Do you know her last name? I could try looking her up or asking around.
Ed Fred???
 
Heather Jordan. She used to be with Flight 101. Still flies out of there, but I don't know that they have a school anymore. Ran into her at Wings last year. And an EAA meeting a few months ago. EdFred may have contact info.
 
How do you like Nebraska? I hear it's nice and hot there this time of year. Ha.

Took my written multiple times. Not recommended. Waste of money. ;)
 
Heather Jordan. She used to be with Flight 101. Still flies out of there, but I don't know that they have a school anymore. Ran into her at Wings last year. And an EAA meeting a few months ago. EdFred may have contact info.

Or she could use EdFred. Pretty sure he has his double- I.
I've been informed that he does not have a CFII, so that's out.
 
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I thought about Ed right after I posted the OP. He's just about 1 hour away. I was probably a little too liberal in my distance limit. I would be commuting to whoever I train with and back home pretty much every day during the week, and that's a lot of time, fuel money, and energy used up in just getting there.

Traveling to Nebraska is out of the question, like I said in the OP. Office hours. If traveling and hunkering down in a motel were an option, my first choice would be PA. Not to slight Jesse in the least, but Ted is a LOT closer.

I PM'd Razor. Thanks Liz for the info on Heather. We'll see how it goes...
 
Sorry, I thought office-hours meant virtually. Phone, etc.
Phone yes, but they only have my office number not my cell. Etc., not sure. I check my email all the time. Office hours means I have to be physically in my office. :(
 
Ed doesn't have his II. Ask me how I know, I've been harping on him for a year to get it because I'm going to be in the same spot come October. He decides to go get a useless multi rating instead!:wink2:

I've seen ads in barnstormers for a guy in Oscoda who does accelerated courses. Don't remember the name or know anything about the guy, but it might be an option.
 
Ed doesn't have his II. Ask me how I know, I've been harping on him for a year to get it because I'm going to be in the same spot come October. He decides to go get a useless multi rating instead!:wink2:

I've seen ads in barnstormers for a guy in Oscoda who does accelerated courses. Don't remember the name or know anything about the guy, but it might be an option.
Thanks. That MEI must be the second instructor rating I saw he got. My bad.
 
If you have most of the requirements knocked out, would it be possible to schedule an accelerated finish-up course somewhere over a long weekend? We have the 4th of July coming up pretty quick. That might give you Wed-Sunday if you could take the Friday off. Having my written about ready to expire is what prompted me to finish up. That was for both PPSEL and the IR. My personality requires a deadline to ever get anything done!
 
If you have most of the requirements knocked out, would it be possible to schedule an accelerated finish-up course somewhere over a long weekend? We have the 4th of July coming up pretty quick. That might give you Wed-Sunday if you could take the Friday off. Having my written about ready to expire is what prompted me to finish up. That was for both PPSEL and the IR. My personality requires a deadline to ever get anything done!
Except the 4th isn't a long weekend this year (falls on a Wed). At least, not where I work. :(

Also, I haven't flown instruments since January, so I'm sure there will be lots of rust to shake off. Switching instructors, maybe even procedural stuff to relearn to suit the new CFII's pedagogy. Something else for the checkride: I rely almost exclusively on flows in high-workload situations. If "uses checklists appropriately" means you have to constantly refer to the printed copy, then I'll have to learn a new habit.

I think it will take more than a long weekend. I'm figuring a full week.
 
I'm with you Liz on having to read written checklists. I am more comfortable in using flows and mnenomics to help remember them.

I only have the Wednesday as a 4th holiday too, but I was hopeful you could manage an extra day off somehow. Unless you can convince your CFII to spend more time with you (like every day after work or something), you may be sentenced to having to take the written again :(.
 
Okay, last night I managed to grab a two-hour slot on Friday 1600-1800 that was sandwiched between two students. Usually those gaps are his dinner hour so I was sort of being a jerk, and expected that he'd just cancel me. But today I noticed that the student before is no longer there, and my CFII blocked off from 1800 on. So I guess I'm going to get that time.

I also noticed that next Tuesday was unexpectedly vacant so I grabbed the whole afternoon, a 6 hour slot. We'll see. I could swear that schedule was full before and can only guess that he told his primary students he wouldn't be available, but forgot to block off the time himself. But I could have been mistaken. We'll see.

With luck maybe I'll get this done after all. It all depends on how much priority he gives to his primary students.
 
He may have even asked the other student to cancel, if all you can see is an online calendar... so you could get your stuff done. (You just never know... people are nice sometimes.)
 
I don't know anyone over there, wish I could help, I just have too many irons in the fire right now to head up there and finish you up.
 
He may have even asked the other student to cancel, if all you can see is an online calendar... so you could get your stuff done. (You just never know... people are nice sometimes.)
Oh, I know he wants to finish me up. He's probably a little peeved that I didn't get started earlier in the year on this -- there's more to the story than just work and schedules, I've been getting my parents' house ready to sell and that was taking up lots of my time too -- but he didn't bump me out of spite or anything like that. The main thing I have to remember is that his primary students plus plane rental are his livelihood in these tough times. I can't expect him to let me block off huge chunks of his time that will cost him money, especially since he's giving me club rates on instruction. That's why I suspect that he'll complain about Tuesday, if the open afternoon wasn't just a mistake on his part. This is just my message to him that I'm serious. If he balks, repeatedly, then I'll know I need to go elsewhere. If we can work it out, all the better.
 
If you're able to get rolling and need a safety pilot, I might be able to help. I've got a few projects working, but my schedule is flexible except for meetings (which aren't many, but seem to pop up when I'm not looking).
 
Hang tough! You're far enough along in your flying to understand how important it is to have patience. Just keep pressing forward and I'm sure you can make it work!
 
Dan Holtzclaw is a full-time CFII operating out of PTK. www.danflite.com

I did a weekend IFR ground school course @ PTK that Dan taught. He knows the material well, but is very opinionated on ALL things and very assertive about those opinions. I don't think I'd find spending time in the cockpit with Dan very enjoyable. YMMV!
 
If you're able to get rolling and need a safety pilot, I might be able to help. I've got a few projects working, but my schedule is flexible except for meetings (which aren't many, but seem to pop up when I'm not looking).
Thanks Liz. I'll let you know...
 
Hang tough! You're far enough along in your flying to understand how important it is to have patience. Just keep pressing forward and I'm sure you can make it work!
Yup, patience is one of my virtues... and one of my weaknesses too. I try to prioritize, don't rush things, and I once delayed going around on a landing that was going bad because of my habit of being patient, almost to the point of a bad outcome. And now here I am with a deadline that I may not be able to make because of lack of time earlier, and now schedule conflicts with my very busy CFII. Sometimes I'm too patient.

I'm going to give it a serious run though -- we'll see whether my CFII will meet me halfway.
 
I did a weekend IFR ground school course @ PTK that Dan taught. He knows the material well, but is very opinionated on ALL things and very assertive about those opinions. I don't think I'd find spending time in the cockpit with Dan very enjoyable. YMMV!
Hmm... you could almost be describing my CURRENT instructor! He even chews out other pilots on the frequency quite often for doing things in ways he doesnt approve of. In the airplane though, he's almost too laid back, very little pressure when enroute or during an approach. Of course he critiques my performance later on. Don't know how that compares to Dan.

Anyway, that's good to know, thanks.
 
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